|
Originally published
here
Jul. 17, 2008
JOSH SCHEINERT , THE JERUSALEM POST
Everyone copes with death in his or her own way. Coming to the
realization that your loved one is not coming back and deciding how
you will live with his or her absence is an extremely personal
process.
Frimet and Arnold Roth are intimately familiar with the grieving
process. In 2001, their 15-year-old daughter Malki was killed in the
Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing in Jerusalem. As a result of the
decisions the Roths made while recovering from this loss, thousands
of lives have been helped.
 Malki
had always been committed to helping disabled children. She had
written about the experience of growing up with her disabled sister
Chaya in the US publication Exceptional Parenthood, and volunteered
for the Etgarim camp for disabled children.
Given this passion for helping disabled children, her parents felt
it appropriate to start the Malki Foundation to assist families with
raising their disabled children at home.
Today, Malki's legacy is alive not only in the foundation, but also
in a moving photographic tribute to the foundation's work by
Jerusalem photographer Nir Alon.
In July 2007 Alon received a copy of a Letter to the Editor of The
New York Times written by Arnold Roth in which he criticized the
paper's decision to print a glamour-style photo of a smiling
terrorist, Ahlam Tamimi, to accompany an article.
After going through the Malki Foundation Web site Alon was touched.
"I was captivated by Malki's tragedy and the way [her family] tried
to climb out of their grief by honoring what Malki had done in her
short life," he says.
Alon then wrote to Roth, introducing himself as a photographer,
saying he wanted to do something with the foundation to help in his
own way. He wanted to photograph the children.
Roth, however, explained that as a matter of policy, to ensure the
privacy of the families, the foundation had no direct contact with
the families once they passed the screening process by an acceptance
committee.
Upon further inspection, however, the families, especially the
children, were more than willing to participate, recalls Alon. "The
children were happy to be the stars. And their parents are grateful
for the support they receive from the Malki Foundation."
As such, for the past year Alon has captured the world of the
children the Malki Foundation helps. The finished product opens a
window into a world many people never get to see. It is a world Alon
describes as the "triumph of optimism and love over challenge."
Having witnessed the successes that emerge out of the children's
therapies, Alon, who had no past experience with disabled children,
admits he has been changed and hopes others who see the exhibit will
be too.
"It opened my eyes to the efforts of others, to the challenges that
these children and their families face, and their struggles to
overcome their challenges. And they succeed and it's a beautiful
thing."
To date, the foundation has funded over 25,000 physical,
occupational, speech, hydro and horse-riding therapies and has
supplied homecare equipment to more than 2,000 children.
Alon's project, "Malki's Legacy: The Story of Hate-inflicted Death
Nurturing Love and Giving, Nurturing Life," premiered at the
Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem in June and can be seen
on Alon's Web site:
http://imagesofmythoughts.com/gallery/3904064
This article can
also be read at
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1215331002904&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
|
Malki's
Parents Write
The
Events of 9th August 2001
Click on the image below to see the Jerusalem Post
article as it was published on 17th July 2008
|
to
receive Frimet and Arnold Roth's occasional published articles,
sign up for the Friends of the Malki Foundation Email List. [
